TR Center Basin 7/14-15/2017
Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:11 pm
At the suggestion of Mike M, I decided to visit Center Basin (vs Lake Reflection). I'm glad I did as the water flow down Bubbs Creek was spectacular and I can't imagine trying to cross it.
The trail up Kearsarge Pass includes a few short snow diverts and crossings, but nothing that requires anything beyond trekking poles for extra balance. The snow on the west side of the pass is largely melted and the runoff is like nothing I've seen before. I took the low trail past Bullfrog Lake and the stream running from the Kearsarge lakes was very pretty. Once I connected up with the JMT/PCT the trail drops rapidly towards Vidette Meadow. Something like 1000' drop in 1.5 miles. Along the way I got a real good look south up the valley towards Center Basin (on the left) and Forester Pass (on the right). Vidette Meadow was as beautiful as I remember. I really couldn't believe how much water was flowing down Bubbs Creek. It was a raging torrent in spots. I made the mistake of planning in Caltopo but then taking my Tom Harrison map with me (vs a Caltopo printout). The Harrison map doesn't show where the Center Basin trail splits from the JMT/PCT. I hiked past the split to where Bubbs Creek drops down from Center Basin. I dithered a while suspecting I'd gone too far but not having seen the trail along the way. Eventually I gave up and backtracked to a nice spot along Bubbs where the flow widens and slows to a meander. I decided to stop there for the night. Skeeters/bugs that night were a 0 on a scale of 1 to 5 - yeah! In the morning while I was looking around I found the Center Basin Trail. It was almost straight across from my campsite and I'd walked right past it several times the night before. From the JMT/PCT it looked like a dried up runoff. Any ducks that were there had been knocked down. In any case I grabbed my camera and hiked up to Center Basin. As with the rest of the Sierra there is a lot of water. Golden Bear lake was huge. I've never been to the Basin before and I was a little bummed that I hadn't found the trail the night before, but at least I did manage to get up there and poke around for a couple hours before I needed to head back. I saw one other boot print the entire time I was there and the trail hadn't seen much use so far this season. All in all it was a nice overnighter.
In case anyone doubts the water this season, here a picture of the JMT/PCT intersection with the Charlotte Lake trail. Note where the sign is located.
The trail up Kearsarge Pass includes a few short snow diverts and crossings, but nothing that requires anything beyond trekking poles for extra balance. The snow on the west side of the pass is largely melted and the runoff is like nothing I've seen before. I took the low trail past Bullfrog Lake and the stream running from the Kearsarge lakes was very pretty. Once I connected up with the JMT/PCT the trail drops rapidly towards Vidette Meadow. Something like 1000' drop in 1.5 miles. Along the way I got a real good look south up the valley towards Center Basin (on the left) and Forester Pass (on the right). Vidette Meadow was as beautiful as I remember. I really couldn't believe how much water was flowing down Bubbs Creek. It was a raging torrent in spots. I made the mistake of planning in Caltopo but then taking my Tom Harrison map with me (vs a Caltopo printout). The Harrison map doesn't show where the Center Basin trail splits from the JMT/PCT. I hiked past the split to where Bubbs Creek drops down from Center Basin. I dithered a while suspecting I'd gone too far but not having seen the trail along the way. Eventually I gave up and backtracked to a nice spot along Bubbs where the flow widens and slows to a meander. I decided to stop there for the night. Skeeters/bugs that night were a 0 on a scale of 1 to 5 - yeah! In the morning while I was looking around I found the Center Basin Trail. It was almost straight across from my campsite and I'd walked right past it several times the night before. From the JMT/PCT it looked like a dried up runoff. Any ducks that were there had been knocked down. In any case I grabbed my camera and hiked up to Center Basin. As with the rest of the Sierra there is a lot of water. Golden Bear lake was huge. I've never been to the Basin before and I was a little bummed that I hadn't found the trail the night before, but at least I did manage to get up there and poke around for a couple hours before I needed to head back. I saw one other boot print the entire time I was there and the trail hadn't seen much use so far this season. All in all it was a nice overnighter.
In case anyone doubts the water this season, here a picture of the JMT/PCT intersection with the Charlotte Lake trail. Note where the sign is located.